Pitchblende was an American four-piece

art punk Art punk is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated than their peers. These groups still generated punk's aesthetic of being simple, offensive, and free-spirit ...

band from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, United States, composed of Justin Chearno on guitar, Scott DeSimon on bass guitar, Patrick Gough on drums and Treiops Treyfid on guitar. Between 1991 and 1995, the group recorded three albums and several singles for the independent labels Cargo, Jade Tree,

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apart ...

and

Simple Machines A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force. In general, they can be defined as the simplest mechanisms that use mechanical advantage (also called leverage) to multiply force. Usually the term refer ...

Style

Although based in Washington, Pitchblende's dense, angular sound was commonly thought to be closer in style to the contemporary music scenes in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

than what was heard on the DC-based

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

labels at the time. Central to Pitchblende's approach was an emphasis on experimentation and dynamics; the band's songs often used complex structures, unusual arrangements, alternative tunings and jarring time changes. Pitchblende's recordings and loud, energetic live shows earned them critical accolades and comparisons with influential bands such as

Mission of Burma Mission of Burma was an American post-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. The group formed in 1979 with Roger Miller on guitar, Clint Conley on bass, Peter Prescott on drums, and Martin Swope contributing audiotape manipulation and acting as ...

and

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

. The group melded together the chaotic spirit of

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

with an absurdist,

dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 192 ...

aesthetic; somewhat pop sensibilities; and a musical proficiency informed by

prog-rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

bands. In spite of occasional references to being inspired by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, very little of Pitchblende's music was

improvisational Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

. This misconception prompted the band to cheekily rename itself The Pitchblende Quartet for its final 1995 album, ''Gygax!''.

Break up

Despite extensive touring and a prolific recorded output, Pitchblende remained largely a favorite of critics and college radio. After a disastrous final US tour in 1994 when the band's gear was stolen in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and DeSimon was attacked and beaten up in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, Chearno and DeSimon moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

where they formed the three piece instrumental band

Turing Machine A Turing machine is a mathematical model of computation describing an abstract machine that manipulates symbols on a strip of tape according to a table of rules. Despite the model's simplicity, it is capable of implementing any computer algori ...

with the late Jerry Fuchs. Chearno went on to form the bands

Doldrums The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal e ...

and

Panthers Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards. ***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...

. Today, Chearno works in the wine industry in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. DeSimon is a magazine editor. Gough is an urban planner in Northern Virginia who played in the D.C.-based trio Imperial China from 2007 to 2013, and Treyfid is a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

-based fine artist, solo musician and graphic designer.

Discography

Singles and EPs

* "Sum"/"Lacquer Box" 7-inch, Landspeed - LS001, February 1992 * ''The Weed Slam'' EP 7-inch - "Weed Slam"/"Ask Rexella"/"Ursa Minor", Jade Tree - JT1008, October 1992 * ''Penny for the Guy'' Working Holiday split 7-inch (with Swirlies), Simple Machines - WH11, November 1993 * "Psychic Power Control"/"In the Flat Field" 7-inch, Cargo - Fist15, May 1994 * "Nine-Volt"/"Karoshi" 7-inch (alternative versions), Pushead Fan Club limited/signed run of 400, September 1994 * "Windshield Kiss" split 7-inch (with Eggs), Jade Tree - JT-16, November 1995

LPs

* ''Kill Atom Smasher'' CD/LP, Cargo - Fist12, April 1993 * ''Au Jus'' CD/CS, Cargo - Fist22, June 1994 - CD/LP, Matador (Europe) - Ole 102, April 1995 * ''Gygax!'' CD, Cargo - HED-048, February 1996 - ''Gygax!'' CD/LP, Matador (Europe) - Ole 190, April 1996

Appearances

* "Drop In the Big Drink" split 7-inch (with Rocket from the Crypt, Rodan, and Walleye), Compulsive - COMP12, October 1993 * ''Chairman of the Board - Frank Sinatra Tribute'', double CD, "Here's to the Losers", Grass/Dutch East - GROW1212-2, Spring 1995 * ''

Working Holiday! ''Working Holiday!'' is a compilation album released on the Simple Machines label in 1994. It is a collection of tracks by American indie bands which were originally released on a series of 12 7" singles by Simple Machines as part of the Worki ...

'' double CD, "Penny for the Guy" 7-inch version and a live recording of "Flax" at the Working Holiday Festival, January 1994, Simple Machines - SMR 26, December 1994 * WGNS ''Gots No Station'' compilation, "Sideling Hill" (alternate version), 1994 * ''Jade Tree First Five Years'', "Windshield Kiss" 7-inch, 2000

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitchblende Musical groups established in 1991 American art rock groups Punk rock groups from Washington, D.C. Jade Tree (record label) artists 1991 establishments in Washington, D.C.